The Wayside Pulpit No.22
The Coming of the Lord
Surely it
is a good thing to be amongst those who "love His appearing." (2
Tim.4:8) How many dear souls have yearned for Him in later life, saying,
"How long, O Lord, is Thy chariot in coming?" But now, at the end of
the year, the decade, the century, and the millennium, we seem to be living in
an atmosphere electrically charged, and bristling with anticipation. What shall
we say to this? The following points may be of comfort, and yet also of
instruction at this season.
1. Many are trying to
calculate and tie down the DATE of the Lord's return, but the Lord said,
"No man knows the day or the hour, not the angels in heaven, nor even the
Son of Man, but only the Father." (Mark 13.32) Many have been disappointed
in the past, as in 1917, 1933, 1988, to mention but a few fondly held dates.
2. One hears much
about the significance of festivals in connection with the Lord's return, such
as Rosh Hashanah, or Tabernacles, but as Jim Bramlett has significantly pointed
out, the Lord said that His return would be "as in the days of Noah",
when there were NO such festivals. To initiate a search for a "significant
time" could become a counter-productive venture. Treat each day as a need
for readiness.
3. Our Lord encouraged
us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come," rather than "Thy Coming
come." This is not a battle of semantics, but a very real issue. Whatever
it means to say "Thy Kingdom come" may still be a matter of
interpretation, but I somehow get the impression that the actual coming of the
Lord will not be exactly as many are anticipating. Men have their agendas,
their time-tables, and their expectations, but the actual establishment of
God's Kingdom may occur in a manner quite different to any of these expectations.
4. There are several
clear indications in the N.T. to the effect that we should be READY for the
Lord's return, rather than mere SPECTATORS in the stalls. It should not
be a matter of saying, "Let's wait and see whether anything happens on such-and-such
a day." It should rather be a matter of "he who has this hope
purifies himself, even as He is pure," (1 John 3:3) and prays that the
Lord will enable him to be ready.
5. All ten virgins
were excited, watching and waiting for the coming of the bridegroom, but five
of them had not attended to ALL the preparations beforehand. That is the
crunch-line of the parable. (Matt.25)
6. The "faithful
and wise servant" of Matthew 24:45, when his Lord comes, should be found
"giving his fellow-servants meat in due season." In other words, even
though there may be an air of expectancy and excitement surrounding him, he
will continue to do those pedestrian, every-day things which form the
"discipline of the commonplace", as someone once put it. "To
sweep a room as by Thy laws, makes that and the action fine."
7. The wicked servant
finds his date passing without anything happening, and in his depression takes
uncalled-for action against his fellow-servants, abusing them, scorning them,
and generally making himself a nuisance. The Lord said that such a man would be
"cut asunder" from his expectations, and left behind. It is very sad
to realise that there WILL be such as these on that climactic day, who will end
up weeping and gnashing their teeth in sheer frustration at the so-called
"injustice" of the Lord's decision to exclude them.
8. "Behold I come
as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk
naked and they see his shame." (Rev.16:15) The watchman on the walls MUST
NOT slumber, lest the Senior Watchman prowl round and find him asleep, and
steal his guard-uniform. On waking from his slumber he will realise that he has
been sleeping on duty. His embarrassment and shame cannot be hidden. The sense
of this passage is clear enough. Note the suddenness with which these words
appear in the book of Revelation, and at what juncture.
9. Although the angels
said that the Lord would return to the
10. To be "caught
up to meet the Lord in the air" is not necessarily to be understood in a
literal manner. The air is a symbol of the middle heaven, where at present
Satan is "the prince and power". But the Lord will descend from the
highest heaven to meet us as we are caught up into that middle heaven. When the
symbolism is unlocked, and the great and glorious event occurs, we shall find
ourselves in resurrection bodies HERE ON EARTH in readiness to serve in His
Millennial Kingdom. It is right here that we shall be needed, not sitting on
insubstantial clouds strumming harps.
11. All the Lord's
warnings engender a sense of godly fear, and dispel complacency. "Take
heed lest you become burdened with the anxieties of life . .
. Be watchful in every season (not just when "millennium fever"
sets in) praying that you may be ACCOUNTED WORTHY . . . to
stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:34-36) This
"worthiness" is not therefore a matter of human sweat and
achievement, but the result of prayer that the Lord, who "began the good
work in you, will bring it to completion." (Phil 1:6)
12. "The day of
the Lord will come as a thief in the night . . . See
then what manner of persons you ought to be in ALL HOLY CONDUCT AND GODLINESS,
looking for and hastening the Day of God." (2 Peter 3:10-12)
Has it ever been properly understood that our conduct can affect the timing of
Christ's return, either to delay it or to hasten it?